


Just a Cup of Coffee

by rosecolouredglasses



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bumping Into Each Other (Literally), F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Meet-Cute, Other, Romance if you squint, Slow Burn, more to come - Freeform, reader is genderneutral
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:11:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23808163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosecolouredglasses/pseuds/rosecolouredglasses
Summary: A fluffy one shot I wrote as a warm up-- In which Sojiro teases you and you reminisce on how you met Akira.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Reader, Kurusu Akira/You, Persona 5 Protagonist/Reader
Comments: 18
Kudos: 108





	1. The First Cup

You breathed a sigh of relief as you stepped out of the compartment with a flood of people at the Shibuya train station. It was barely 9 am, and you were already exhausted. The ride alone made you want to go right back home, but you had endured it for a reason. You look down at a scrap of paper with your destination. The journey had plenty of sights to see, but in your single-mindedness, you barely took notice.

When you finally get there, you compare the name of the establishment with the words on the paper. Nodding to yourself, sure you have the right place, you enter, the chime of a bell announcing your entrance. The cafe looks cosy and smells of warm spices and brewing coffee. There are one or two patrons sitting down in booths enjoying their meals, but otherwise, empty. There is a man behind a counter, putting new filters into coffee drips. He measures spoonfuls of ground coffee, and you inhale. Your eyelashes flutter at the rich, chocolate scent that drifts your way. His eyes flick up to you, not stopping his task as he stares at you over his half-moon glasses.

“What can I get you?” He questions, his voice curt. You offer a timid smile at the bespectacled man and make your way to the counter, standing in front of him.

“Oh... I'm not here to buy anything, sir. I'm actually here for Akira.” You shift slightly, “This is where he lives, right? I hope I read the address right…” He stops his measuring, furrowing his brow.

“Don’t tell me that he’s got himself in trouble--” he starts, getting into a huff. You scramble to clear up any miscommunication.

“No, sir! Nothing like that. To be frank, I really suck in our history class, and Akira offered to help me study today.” You smiled at the man, a tinge of pink coming to your cheeks. “He’s really smart, so I was grateful.” The barista dropped his angry expression, becoming a grin to rival the Cheshire Cat's. Just as he was about to speak, Akira himself walked out from the back room. He blinked owlishly, seeing you standing at the counter.

“You’re early.” He fumbles with a box full of bagged coffee beans. “Sojiro, this is my friend from class.” He tells the bearded man-- Sojiro-- your name and who you are. “And this is Sojiro Sakura. He’s my guardian while I’m here in the city.” You bow slightly, and he nods his head back at you.

“Well, your shift’s over in 30 minutes still. Just finish up restocking and cleaning while I make some coffee for your friend.” The way he raised his eyebrows wasn’t lost on you, but you chose to ignore it. “Now, you clearly smelled something you liked when you walked in, let’s fix you up with that.”

“Thank you very much Sakura-san.” You flash a demure smile at the older man, before turning your attention to Akira, “Don’t worry Akira! I don’t mind waiting. I wish you had told me that this place was such a nice café!” Sojiro is pleased by your flattery and begins on your cup of coffee. He might have brought out one of the nicer blends just because of that comment, but he’ll never admit that to anyone. Akira smiles at you warmly, making your stomach do funny flips that you do your best to swallow down.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.” The dark-haired beauty nods at you and then goes off to arrange and stock the cabinets in the back of the small cafe. You turn your attention to Sojiro making coffee. His practised hands move like they’re dancing more than actually making coffee.

“So,” He begins, “You’re a friend from school?” He pours hot water through the filter to clean it, preparing it for the coffee. You watched him before responding, lowering your voice enough so he and you were the only ones able to hear.

“Yeah. But I didn’t really approach him first.” Your eyes dart away guiltily. “There were a lot of rumours flying wild at school. To the point that many people thought if you even so much as looked him in the eye, he’d beat you to a pulp.” You paused for a moment, twiddling your thumbs as he poured out the bad water, measured the grounds, and let them flow down into the awaiting filter. His movements were flourished with ease and care. “And, while I didn’t believe the rumours in their extremity, I avoided him for the first few weeks because of his criminal record. But… He answered nearly every question in the class right, came to school on time and kept to himself. He seemed so… lonely.” You turn your head to glance back at Akira, brow furrowed slightly. He read the labels for each bag and organized them meticulously.

“So you approached him?” Sojiro asks after your distracted moment of silence. You blink and look back at him, smiling fondly. You chuckle, thinking back to your first experience meeting your now close friend. “Something like that.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was only a week or two before you don your summer uniforms, and with exams in close proximity, your mind wanders elsewhere. You barely pay attention to what's in front of you as you look down at the ground, muttering the material you desperately attempt to hammer into your head. Paying attention as you walk the halls of your busy school is one of the few things that you understand better than anything; Rowdy students running around happened too often to let your guard down. Not noticing the boys running through the hall was your first mistake, and your second was your slow reflexes. You stumble, falling to the side into another body, colliding into their arms. A soft ‘oof’ escapes the other person’s lips as a shriek escapes yours. You’re on the floor before you know it, with a very sore shoulder and even more sore pride. You rub your arm with a wince and a shout towards the long gone freshman.

“Slow the hell down and watch where you’re going!” You shake your fist, face twisted in irritation. Realizing there was another person on the floor with you, you let your features soften and quickly apologize. “I’m really sorry, are you-?” When you recognize the other person-- dark hair, darker eyes, and askew glasses-- you feel a shiver go up your back and you tense, squeaking. He rights his glasses, blinking at you.

“Are you alright?” His voice is like cashmere. “You didn’t hit your head did you?” It should be illegal to have that voice. “Um…?” He calls your name, and you plummet back to reality, your ears and cheeks flushed red. He’s already standing, holding your book bag’s strap in one hand and holding out the other, presumably to help you up. You place your hand in his, shaking your head, rendered dazed by his vocals. You’re still grasping onto his hand after he helps you up. Realizing this you snatch your hand back quickly, rip your book bag from his grip, and scurry away as fast as you can. As you leave, you can hear the loud boisterous laughter of Ryuji Sakamoto aimed at his friend.

“Nice one, ladies man!” Your ears stayed pink for the rest of the day.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sojiro snorts, covering his mouth as you finish relegating your story to him, minus some more personal thoughts. You blush, scrunching up your nose as you take a sip of your still too-hot coffee. Once he composed himself, he cleared his throat. “So you really slammed into him when you first met and then ran away after he helped you up? Not exactly the start of a great meet-cute.” He raised an eyebrow at you. You hide behind your cup best you can, practically sinking into your seat.

“Yeah, it’s pretty embarrassing looking back on it. I just was so freaked out because he knew my name and he was the local bad boy at the time. I thought he was gonna beat me up for sure!” You glance over at him for a moment. He’s smiling gently at an elderly couple as he takes away their dishes and makes small talk. You can’t help the quirk of your lips as your eyelids lower and you sigh. “But he’s actually one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. He’s always polite if a little sassy. And he loves helping people, even if they don’t know it’s him!” Sojiro is watching you more intently now, almost surprised. You go pink when you realize that you’ve rambled to your host. But when Sojiro speaks, you go completely red.

“You’ve got it worse than I thought, kid.” Before you can respond, Akira appears behind you. He has one arm leaning on the counter, almost caging you in protectively. You can feel his body heat radiating on your back. He’s too close.

“Hey, you aren’t saying anything mean to them, are you Sojiro?” Akira’s eyebrows raise, his glasses frames tilting down his nose. Your face is practically steaming. “You are huh? Guess I have to rescue you.” He loops his arm with yours, tugging you gently along. You allowed yourself to be pulled away, waving at Sojiro.

“Thank you so much Sakura-san! The coffee was delicious!!” You flash a beaming smile, and Sojiro can’t help but return it with one of his own.

“You’re welcome any time kid. And call me Sojiro! I’m not that old.” The last sentence was only loud enough for the patrons to hear, all chuckling at the two of you. You’re long gone when an older regular speaks up.

“Ah, young love, eh Sakura?” The barista shakes his head with a chuckle, picking up the ceramic of the cup and putting it away for Akira to wash later.


	2. A Second Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Akira head to this other café for your so-called study date and end up striking a deal with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for a lovely reader who requested to see the actual coffee date!! I think i might make a series out of this?? let me know what you think in the comments. <3

By the time you and Akira arrive at the coffee shop, your red face has turned pink, from exertion rather than embarrassment. You’re panting a little, hand warm and a little damp in your dark-haired companion’s grip. You feel the urge wrench your hand away, not wanting to be a gross sweaty mess in front of him, but as if sensing this, he squeezes lightly and tilts his head down towards you a little. He flashes a knee-knocking smile, and you feel your lips quirk crookedly in response. You can only hold his striking gaze for a moment, before averting your eyes and adjusting your bag on your shoulder. With a clearing of your throat you question him,

“So do tell me-- Why couldn’t we have studied in the library after school?” He has a shit-eating grin on his face and you loathe the way it makes your face warm. You squint at him, brow furrowing as you let go of his hand and poke a finger into his chest. “Are we even going to study Kurusu-san?” He grabs the hand pushing into his chest and he chuckles at your scrutiny of his intentions. 

“Of course we’ll study. But since I’m doing a favour for you..” He leans close, his breath hot even against your warm cheeks. “You’ll have to do a favour for me.” The way he says your name is absolutely sinful. Did his voice drop an octave? Why do your legs feel like jello? Are you sweating? You might be sweating. Amidst your mental collapse, you barely catch him bursting into laughter, dropping your hand to hide a small snort with his palm before he loses his composure entirely. With your face still flaming red, you stomp one shaky foot down with the intimidation of a 3 year old child throwing a tantrum. 

“K-Kurusu! That was terrible of you! The indecency! The  _ audacity _ !!” Admonishing him was all you could do to recover. He seems absolutely delighted with your flustered reaction. 

“Not my fault you have a dirty mind~” He teases, and you sputter, about to combat his accusation with some rather strong words, but he speaks up again. “I would really appreciate it if you could take me around town. Show me what the city is like.” You feel both relieved and also just a little disappointed. Not that you’d ever admit it. 

“I don’t mind being a guide. There’s plenty to see.” You smile at him, and his glasses catch the sun in a glare that obscures his eyes from you. 

“Would you say that’s a  _ deal _ ?” His grin makes it feel like you’re entering a contract with the devil, but instead of making you uneasy, it makes you feel weirdly assured; About what, you have no idea— but you take his outreached hand anyways. You give it a firm squeeze and he smiles in response. You let go of his grip and settle your hands on your hips. 

“Alright! I will be your guide through Tokyo!” When you look at Akira's face once more, his glasses have slid down his nose a fraction and is looking at you as if he’s seeing you wholly new. If you weren’t fully sound of mind, you would have swore that his dark eyes flashed an eerie gold. Suppressing a shiver that threatens to wrack down your spine, you clear your throat. “Well at least this explains why you wanted me to meet you at Le Blanc.” He shakes himself out of whatever realization that made him make such a face, plastering his crooked grin back on. 

“Well my dearest guide, let me fulfill my end of the bargain first. This is the best café to study in all of Japan!” You raised a brow, shaking your head slightly; You couldn’t help how the edges of your lips quirked up at his dramatics. 

“I still don’t get why we couldn’t just study at the library after school and  _ then _ go exploring.” You remarked dryly. You didn’t really mind, it just felt like there was a reason that Akira was skirting around. As if intentionally proving your suspicion, his mouth pressed together slightly. He practically grimaced, before schooling his expression into another grin. With a shrug he took your hand in his and led you to the café. 

“Too much noise there.” He answered simply, leading you to sputter in surprise. 

“It’s a  _ library _ .” Another shrug and you sighed and dropped the topic. Maybe your worries were unfounded? But every time you went there, it was quiet. With a squint at his face, you decided to file it away for another interrogation, another time. 

All in all, it was a pretty nice café. It was warm and inviting, and you imagined that he came here pretty often when he just wanted to try something other than Sojiro’s curry and coffee. Not to say that Sojiro was a bad cook or barista— not at all. Akira probably just wanted to shake it up. 

But your heart twinged a little. You couldn’t help but wonder if he had more company than just himself. You know he had that Sakamoto kid, but he didn’t seem like the type to study astutely. You remember sports was more his thing. You were tempted to ask, but how rude it’d be to ask someone ‘Hey do you sit by yourself and study?’ Practically calling him a loser right to his face. Better to just leave it alone. 

So caught up in your thoughts of his life being possibly sad and lonely, you hadn’t noticed him asking you what you wanted to have. He calls your name, and you shoot back to the present, blinking your eyes. 

“Wait sorry, say that again Kurusu-san?” He rolls his eyes from behind his glasses, pushing them up his nose with two fingers at the bridge. 

“First of all, I’ve told you to just call me Akira. Second of all, what would you like? It’s on me.” You wave your hand, dismissing him. 

“Absolutely not, you’re the one tutoring me, I should be the one paying.” He leans back, practically sprawling out on the cushioned booth. You fold your arms, as if you could intimidate him. He gives you a pointed look over his glasses, brow raising challengingly. You meet his gaze with the same assuredness.

“Fine, I’ll get it next time.” He folds, looking away with a barely concealed smile. Your heart jumps at the idea of a ‘next time’. It was just a confirmation that you’d be seeing a lot more of each other. You decided that really wouldn’t be all too bad. 

“What do you suggest? What’s good here?” You question, looking over the menu. He hummed and you raised your gaze to his face, watching as his dark eyes skimmed over the options. 

“I personally really enjoy the dango they serve here. Especially the mitarashi dango.” you can’t help but snicker into your palm, his head snapping up so fast his glasses dislodge. It makes you fall into giggles, and he narrows his eyes. “What?”

“I just never pegged you having a sweet tooth.” You said between giggles, continuing before he could respond, “You always seemed so dark and brooding, but you’re really just a big softy. I can’t believe people think you’re some ‘bad-boy’.” You couldn’t help the fondness that seeped into your tone. His pout faded away, eyes fixed on a groove in the table before he mumbled out something you strained to hear. 

“I don’t really care what others think of me-- but I’m glad you don’t listen to the rumors.” He offered a small smile, one you’d never seen before. It made all sorts of twists and turns in your stomach. You were about to respond when the waitress came over to take your orders. 

Another conversation, for another time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mitsurashi Dango is a japanese dessert similar to mochi but on a skewer and covered in a sticky sweet syrup.

**Author's Note:**

> Drop a comment, lemme know what you think! :D


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